Push PAUSE

Thanks to my parents, I typically pray four times a day: before each meal and before falling asleep at night. “Come Lord Jesus, be our guest….” is my meal time prayer. I have given up the “Now I lay me down to sleep….” evening prayer, unless my grandchildren are in-house, and pray the Lord’s Prayer  along with my heartfelt concerns and expressions of thanks and praise.

Recently, a friend shared an acronymn for hitting all the bases when praying.

A – Acknowledge LORDship

C – Confession (including sins of omission, commission, self-submission)

T – Thanks and praise

S – Supplications – ending with “Thy will be done…”

God cares about us; God cares about creation; God cares about the nations of the world. The Bible verse, Pray without ceasing, used to give me a bit of a guilt complex, in that, how is that possible, Lord?

However, I have come to believe that prayer is not just speaking words of praise, thanks, supplicating, and confessing. It is an attitude. In other words, where are your thoughts?  Am I listening in to the Holy Spirit? If I fill my head with scripture, I’m more apt to have prayerful thoughts. God’s Word is there for a reason. It is a connection to an Almighty God.

I have determined this morning that I can get better at this praying without ceasing if I PAUSE, yes, actually stop to pray more than four times a day. If you’re like me, you have to write this down as a reminder. So, today, after lunch, I’m going to a quiet place after cleaning off the table, and acknowledge God as my Savior, confess my sins large and small, thank Him for the blessings He has bestowed, mention my concerns, and yes, Thy will be done.

It’s a start.

Just maybe I’ll find other times during the day to PAUSE wherever I am…. knowing God wants my company.

I’ve noticed that the closer I feel to my Creator, the more content I am.

PAUSE-ing more often in prayer, just might make my day!